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Espus Isles
Espus is one of the most varied lands in all of Erona; specifically, it is an island unto itself. Consisting of every land type aside from sandy beach and desert, Espus is the center of the world's old, forgotten religions. Topography Darkmoon Port Starting at the only location that makes a viable port in Espus, one arrives at Darkmoon Port, the northeasternmost location. Darkmoon port consists of Sea, Street, Slums, and fasttalkers. The home base of the cult of the grim, many a wayward son has lost his soul in this city, and left a changed man. Consisting primarily of humans, Darkmoon Port is one of the least trustworthy places in all of Espus. Once a thriving port town, Darkmoon has fallen into shambles, where fear rules, and nobility extends only so far as you can defend it. The underbelly of the city (and some of the towers, even the lighthouse) has become a hotbed of the world-eater cult. Dragonreach Mountain Moving west out of Darkmoon, a fork in the road travels to the south, towards the imposing mountain that grows out of the chain of mountains and cliffsides that adorn the isolated island. The road steadily breaks down, as the once well-maintained road falls into disrepair; the dwarves that make their home in Dragonreach have much more important things to worry about. Starting at ground level within the travel-route-turned-homeland, one will locate the mildly Xenophobic Dwarves that have made their home here for centuries. Surely they are glad for your visit, and surely they would like that you are certain to close the door on your way out. While you're here, don't go up or down, those are the only real rules, and don't answer the door if anyone knocks. Moving too deep into the center of the mountains, one will find eldritch caverns filled with aberrations, and worse, enslaved giantkin, twisted by such monsters. To make matters worse, the mountain is a semi-dormant volcano, having only erupted once in the last millenium, but the instability has lead to some lava and a great deal of high pressure springs and lakes in the deeper portions. Climbing the peaks leads up into the giant's homes; forced down centuries ago by the dragon(s) and Kobolds that make their home at the peak, the giant's homes are now all but abandoned, a hunting ground for the creatures that live above, covered in traps and devious devices, as well as the rare giant that somehow has managed to remain free and alive, despite the hostilities on all sides. Cairnwood If instead you continue to the west at the fork in the road, you'll come to the outskirts of Cairnwood; three concentric rings of wall surround the city, having been defended time and again from the hordes that live in the mountain ranges and forests to the north and west. Primarily farm and forest, Cairnwood has seeked to create a civilized place to live for the majority of the humans in the region. The outer ring surrounds the farmlands and some of the homes of those who work the forests, the inner ring encircles the homes of the crafts and laypeople, while the center holds the major buildings, such as the storehouses, along with the nobility of the feudal-ran city. Law is the name of the land in this area, and anything out of the ordinary is often punished before it can grow into any form of danger or question. Humans are the most common in this area, though some half-elves and incredibly rare elves live here. Halflings are not unheard of, but the majority of other races feel unwelcomed or overly constrained. Morestop Traveling south from Cairnwood, you find yourself in the crossroads town of Morestop. This town has thrived over the centuries, due to incredible necessity across the land. Primarily composed of halflings, and built upon the concept of 'if it isn't tied down, you can't steal it, it doesn't belong to anyone' only the town center is actually made up of buildings with foundations. The rest of the area is composed of wagons, some of which have been tethered, others of which are ready to come or go at a moment's notice. They say you can get anything you like in Morestop, and given time, this is probably true. The only difficulty is in how rare some things can truly be in a land that was once ravaged by such unfortunate events. Unforgotten Traveling to the west of Morestop would bring you to an ancient monastery located where forest, mountain, river, and cliff meet. Over time, half-elves in this area have found themselves drawn to this place, as one of the few places located 'between' worlds, where they feel comfortable. Oddly, it has much of what anyone could need to survive, but others simply feel uncomfortable when they come here, as if something truly terrible happened; something that had nothing to do with the dark times, and much more to do with the end times. Carillon Moving to the south from morestop, instead, you make your way towards a town that seems to have forgotten about religion and personal need. Everything seems to work in tandem, in a logic-driven landscape, the most illogical thing being the degree to which experimentation is utilized. The city has grown organically spiraling outwards from the belltower for which the town is names, slowly growing up the edges of a carefully excavated landscape, and then across the surrounding grasslands. Home to the cult of Brigh, Carillon is made up primarily of gnomes, humans, and the Brigh-touched. Neretei Moving further south still, one finds there way to the massive city of the gods. Similar to Unforgotten, something terrible happened here, all that time ago, something that cut the world from the gods that were known for having crafted it. Most of the city was slaughtered in a single day by incredibly powerful ritual magic, and most of their spirits still linger here. The sky swirls with dark clouds, energy arcing through the sky. The city itself is a massive wheel, composed of all manner of architecture, built within and around each other in tolerance and understanding, seemlessly blending the very best of all the races. If not for the inhospitable landscape itself, the city could be a place of wonder. Located in the center of the city are the shrines, each god having their own place dedicated solely to them, and built on their beliefs and principles. It is said that only those with pure hearts may enter the sanctity of the temples. Serpenti Wilds Located to the south of Unforgotten, and to the west of Neretei, in a place connected by no roads, are the jungle and forests where the elves of Espus once made their homes. The temple city located at the heart of the jungle is ruled by the Vishkanya, elves 'blessed' by their goddess to have a new form, just before the fall of the gods. The region has a smattering of elves, humans, and half-elves as well, though all of these races are considered as lessers by the majority of the Vishkanya. Mam'muth Reach Located somewhere in the deep, untamed southern expanses of Espus is the Moot place of the Wild Elves that make their home in Espus. Surrounded by a massive graveyard, every few years (on the third blue moon), all of the tribes come to the center of the Mam'muth plains to pay honor to their fallen ancestors, leaving tokens, and celebrating life as a whole. Throughout the rest of the year, the Mam'muth Reaches are tended by one of the tribes (rotating at each moot). Merestop Rather than heading west or south at morestop, one can instead turn to the east, and find another halfling community, considerably smaller though it may be. There are no buildings here, simply a place to circle the wagons at the crossroads between else and where. Even still, some wagons have located themselves here long enough to create a community unto itself. Undergrub To the north of Merestop is Undergrub (and Rivengard), a location of death... and of life. Eldritch magics, and bizarre faiths combine to ensure that those that die do not cease to live, but rather continue as if they were still alive, with considerably less needs. While it is true that as the undead grow older, their desires become steadily disconnected from those that they likely carried in life, it is also true that the undead of Undergrub are not evil by necessity; no... they retain much of their desires long into their afterlives that they maintained during life. The majority of undergrub is composed of sentient undead, with the occassional outsider managing to eek an existence in a village in which food is considered not a necessity, but a curiosity. Undergrub is located beneath the castle city of Rivengard. If one travels around Rivengard, one can find the broken stones that once made up the road to what is now known as Dragonreach. Fisher Hill If instead you turn south at Merestop, you will move towards the massive freshwater sea located in Espus, and the town of Fisher Hill. Surrounded on all sides by forest and water, the small town is located on a hill that keeps it just above the water at high tide. The city is made entirely of stone and wood that is capable of floating, and is home to many nature-lovers, fishermen, and hunters alike. Moving east of Merestop moves you into no-man's-land. And while towns and cities exist, most of them are hollowed out ruins, and those that aren't have terrible things living within them, best left undisturbed by anyone not a hero in their own right. Demographics Race Brigh-touched - Rare throughout the world, the Brigh-touched are only uncommon within Carillon. Brigh-touched are most at home in professions with large numbers of skills, or a propensity towards utility, adaptability, and technological applications. Brigh are accepting of nearly anything. Brigh-touched are curious of others, but wary; many are misunderstood. Dwarf - Uncommon, appearing commonly in Dragonreach, and being virtually nonexistant elsewhere. Dwarves are drawn to professions along the wilder side, favoring brute force, and natural ties. They tend to eschew pets, however. They do not trust organized religion, and rarely trust arcane magic. Dwarves are not exceptionally trusting of most outsiders. Elf - Uncommon, while the southern plains consist almost entirely of elves, the rest of the continent has very few. Elves are drawn to professions along the wilder side, favoring brute force and natural ties. Elves favor 'pet' classes. They do not trust arcane magic or technology, but are otherwise quite readily accepting. Elves favor isolation, though do not disdain the occasional visitor. They tend not to get along with Brigh-touched or Rivenguard Natives, nor with Vishkanya. Gnome - Uncommon, gnomes are virtually nonexistent outside of Carillon, where they are common. Gnomes love to be innovative and cunning. They favor high-skill classes, and technological, or knowledgable classes. Most disdain classes they consider brutish. Gnomes are readily accepting of anything that they don't feel is brutish. They have a hard time understanding Vishkanya and elves alike, and have grown quite distant from the Dwarves they once called allies. Everything else is a curiosity. Half-elf - Rare, Elves and Humans rarely come into contact in Espus, and those half-elves that do come to exist often live in Unforgotten. Half-elves favor generalized classes, rather than specialized, favoring thoughtful classes, such as monk and bard. Half-elves live in isolation because they feel as though they are from two worlds, depending on the pull they may lean towards favoring any race. Halfling - Common, halflings show up everywhere but the racially exclusive zones. Halflings compose the majority of Espus's numbers, leaving few stones unturned class-wise. Arcane spellcasters are rare amongst halflings, but otherwise they tend to dabble. Halflings as a whole are very accepting of any of the other races that are accepting of them. Human - Common, Humans make up some portion of nearly all populations within Espus. Humans run the gamot amongst classes, usually favoring those classes that are associated with their homes. Amongst the non-Vishkanya races, Humans are the most likely to practice arcane magic, though many are still quite distrusting. Humans are generally accepting of the things they are surrounded by, and not accepting of anything else, therefore a Carillon human is much more open to technology, gnomes, and Brigh, but much less open to druids, magic, and elves. Planetouched - Uncommon, those born as moral planetouched seem to be random, though there is some heredity, anyone can have a plantetouched child in Espus. The planetouched come from all walks of life, and are often a product of their communities and upbringing. Rivenguard Native - Rare, though common in Rivenguard and Undergrub. Rivenguard characters are often religious or martial, though some become arcane casters; people from Rivenguard tend to not be judgmental about vocation. On the other hand Rivenguard natives are often concerned with outside races, while they are often accepting of others, those who know what they are are often not quite so accepting. Skragh-kin - Uncommon, existing in the wet places all across Espus. Skragh-kin favor the same things that elves do, though they're generally more at home in aquatic and shady environs than the plains. Skragh-kin tend to be distrusting of the other races, though those that prove themselves worth the time of a skragh-kin tribe generally find them to be quite accepting and appreciative. Vishkanya - Rare, most make their home in the southwestern jungles, where their temples are located. Vishkanya heavily favor Arcane classes, though often also add martial prowess to their arcane choices. Occassionally they become divine spellcasters, though rarely. Vishkanya tend to view other races as tools rather than people. Elves are amusing for delicate work, and tending gardens, humans are useful for everything else. Halflings are too difficult to train... the list goes on. Class The majority of Espus frowns upon arcane magic, when it cannot be hidden. The world is steeped in religious lore. As a result divine classes are much more common (especially traditional ones), and arcane classes are more rare. As altered elves, Vishkanya are the most common arcane users amongst the land. Alchemist - Uncommon, Common amongst Vishkanya Barbarian - Uncommon, quite common amongst dwarves, elves and Skragh-kin. Bard - Common, the culture is steeped in lore and stories, which even common people collect greedily. Cavalier - Uncommon, much more common in Darkmoon and Cairnwood. Cleric - Common, if divinity exists in Erona any longer, it exists amongst the Espus Isles. Druid - Rare, uncommon amongst Fisher Hill, Mam'muth, and Unforgotten, as well as Skragh-kin and Dwarves. Fighter - Common Gunslinger - Uncommon, common in Carillon Inquisitor - Common Magus - Uncommon, common amongst Vishkanya Monk - Uncommon, Common in Unforgotten Oracle - Common Paladin - Uncommon, while many are called to religion, few are capable of such devotion to ways so steeped in lore. Ranger - Uncommon, Common amongst Mam'muth and Skragh-kin and dwarves. Rogue - Common Sorcerer - Uncommon, the population that would normally become sorcerers often find themselves drawn into the oracle folds instead, their birthrights catalyzing somewhat more weakly amongst the divine power. Summoner - Rare Witch - Very Uncommon, uncommon amongst Vishkanya Wizard - Almost Unheard of, Common amongst Vishkanya Category:The Great Homelands